The stimulation of various cells of the body has been used to produce a number of beneficial effects. One method of stimulation involves the use of electrodes to introduce an externally generated signal into cells. One problem faced by electrode-based brain stimulation techniques is the distributed nature of neurons responsible for a given mental process. Conversely, different types of neurons reside close to one another such that only certain cells in a given region of the brain are activated while performing a specific task. Alternatively stated, not only do heterogeneous nerve tracts move in parallel through tight spatial confines, but the cell bodies themselves may exist in mixed, sparsely embedded configurations. This distributed manner of processing seems to defy the best attempts to understand canonical order within the central nervous system (CNS), and makes neuromodulation a difficult therapeutic endeavor. This architecture of the brain poses a problem for electrode-based stimulation because electrodes are relatively indiscriminate with regards to the underlying physiology of the neurons that they stimulate. Instead, physical proximity of the electrode poles to the neuron is often the single largest determining factor as to which neurons will be stimulated. Accordingly, it is generally not feasible to absolutely restrict stimulation to a single class of neuron using electrodes.
Another issue with the use of electrodes for stimulation is that because electrode placement dictates which neurons will be stimulated, mechanical stability is frequently inadequate, and results in lead migration of the electrodes from the targeted area. Moreover, after a period of time within the body, electrode leads frequently become encapsulated with glial cells, raising the effective electrical resistance of the electrodes, and hence the electrical power delivery required to reach targeted cells. Compensatory increases in voltage, frequency or pulse width, however, may spread the electrical current and increase the unintended stimulation of additional cells.
Another method of stimulus uses photosensitive bio-molecular structures to stimulate target cells in response to light. For instance, light activated proteins can be used to control the flow of ions through cell membranes. By facilitating or inhibiting the flow of positive or negative ions through cell membranes, the cell can be briefly depolarized, depolarized and maintained in that state, or hyperpolarized. Neurons are an example of a type of cell that uses the electrical currents created by depolarization to generate communication signals (i.e., nerve impulses). Other electrically excitable cells include skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and endocrine cells. Neurons use rapid depolarization to transmit signals throughout the body and for various purposes, such as motor control (e.g., muscle contractions), sensory responses (e.g., touch, hearing, and other senses) and computational functions (e.g., brain functions). Thus, the control of the depolarization of cells can be beneficial for a number of different purposes, including (but not limited to) psychological therapy, muscle control and sensory functions.
Optical-based stimulus, however, often involves the generation of heat which can be passed to cells of the body. Heat affects both the function and the physical viability of many cell types and may cause cell damage or death. In brain tissue, for example, the threshold for cell death is generally about fifty-six degrees Celsius maintained for one second, or fifty-two degrees for longer periods of time. Tissues held above forty-three degrees Celsius for more than an hour or so may have their physiological processes (including cell division) interrupted. Even more subtle elevations in temperature, above the normal thirty-seven degrees Celsius, are thought to change metabolic processes including affecting spontaneous firing rate.